Pouring Rain
by Reiji Neko Mitsukai
Summary: Set in The Freeza Wars timeline Within the ruins of a once great city, Krillin's son is born. R&R please


Pouring Rain  
  
They could hear it. Even through the walls and the occasional beep from the computers, they could hear the rain pouring down outside. It was almost soothing, despite the thick tension in the air of the building. About half a dozen men and women sat in chairs at computers, listening intently through headphones to the sounds of a deadly operation at the nearest base. Right then, Troana, Krillin, Piccolo, Tien, Gohan, and Vegeta were sneaking around in one of Freeza's bases, hoping to gather information that may be useful, or maybe even steal a few valuable supplies. They had hidden a small listening device on Gohan, and sent those that were able out to the base. Dua prayed to Kami that they returned in one piece, or the child she had been carrying for the past nine months would no longer have a father. She could hear a little of what was going on through the headphones on the intent listeners, and knew something was wrong immediately when she barely heard the explosion. "Sir, there has been an explosion," reported one of the male listeners. "What's going on?" asked the general. "My guess is that they have been spotted, sir." Dua's head immediately lifted, listening intently. She heard the light fizzle of static as another explosion occurred, then a deep voice yelling "Gohan!" She tried to get up from her makeshift bed, but the doctor kept her from getting up. There was another explosion, then the sound of someone yelling "RUN!" She recognized the voice immediately. "Krillin…" Her face suddenly twisted with pain, and she leaned back against the wall. 'Oh Kami not now, not now, not now…' she begged in her mind. The pain stopped as suddenly as it started. She took a couple of breaths and carefully placed a hand on her extended belly. 'Please wait, your father is coming, just please wait…' It was then she had noticed the water at foot of her bed. "Her water's broken. We have to get her out of here," said the doctor. "No! I have to wait for him!" "If we don't get you out of here now, this is where you'll have the baby. We can't turn the control room into a nursery." Dua glared at the doctor. The doctor looked back at her, her eyes showing no fear. Another contraction hit, and the eye contact was broken. The doctor turned to a soldier. "Help me." They helped Dua to her feet and lead her to the Infirmary. Once there they helped Dua to a bed and made her comfortable.  
  
12 hours later, Troana, Krillin, Piccolo, Gohan, Tien, and Vegeta came in sight of the Military Base. "Finally," Gohan sighed in relief. "We're not home free yet," said Troana. "Let's get there first." Using the forest as cover, the group of six carefully made their way to the entrance under piles of ruble. As soon as Vegeta opened the hatch, Piccolo froze. "What is it?" asked Tien. Everyone froze, waiting tensely for the answer. Piccolo stood, listening intensely, looking down the open hole. Finally he looked at them and said, "It's Dua." "Let's go! Why are we stalling, let's go!" Troana ushered the others into the hole. She was anxious to come to her friend's aid. Krillin was the first one in, then Piccolo, Gohan, Tien, Vegeta, then Troana. They half jogged, half walked down the narrow corridor and approached the security door. The two guards recognized the human with half of a left arm, the two demi-Sayians, the Sayian, and the Namek and opened the door. They went through and ran into the control room. The general had one soldier help Gohan take the listening device off. Piccolo stayed with him. Tien and Vegeta were lead to the Infirmary to treat wounds. Troana jogged up to the general. "Where is she?" "Excuse me?" "Dua! Where is she? We left her in your care, she was pregnant!" "Her water broke, we moved her to the Infirmary." Troana and Krillin both ran off to the Infirmary. They pushed the doors open, the handles slamming into the walls. The Infirmary was a big room. One wall was lined with beds; the other lined with shelves holding medical supplies. Vegeta and Tien were sitting on two of the beds, awaiting treatment. They watched Troana and Krillin run to the other side of the room and attempt to open the doors, but they were locked. Troana looked in the small window to see Dua lying on a bed, eyes tightly shut in pain. Krillin took hold of the bottom of the window and lifted himself up. Inside, Dua was half sitting up, sweating from the effort. The doctor was at the foot of the bed, waiting for the baby to come out. With a final push and cry of pain, Dua relaxed and fell back onto the pillow, breathing heavily. The umbilical cord was cut and the baby wrapped in a towel. The bundle was handed to Dua, who gently took the still crying newborn. "Congratulations, It's a boy. But, he, well, doesn't seem to have a nose." "That is quite alright." Then she noticed the black hair growing from the child's head. "He looks like his father," she whispered. The doctor unlocked the door and Krillin dropped down. Troana waited impatiently for the doctor's word. The doctor opened the door and allowed them in. Both the demi-Sayian and the human walked over to Dua while the doctor walked off to treat Tien and Vegeta's wounds. Dua watched with the faint ghost of a smile as Krillin and Troana walked up to her. Dua carefully offered the child to Krillin. "Want to hold your son?" Krillin carefully took the baby and held him the best he could. Then, for the first time in one and a half years, Krillin's eyebrows raised and a smile appeared on his face. "He looks like you," said Troana, also smiling for the first time ever since the war started. "Hey little guy," Krillin spoke softly to his son. As if in response, the baby boy rubbed his eyes with his little hands and opened them just a little. "He's got eyes like yours, Dua." "Wow, he does. They're slits, like yours," acknowledged Troana. Gohan, Piccolo, and Tien walked up to them. Gohan stood next to Krillin. "He looks like you, Krillin." Tien looked at the child, then asked, "What's his name?" Krillin and Dua looked at each other. "Don't know," said Krillin as he looked back at his son. "My father." All their heads turned toward Dua, who was looking at her child in Krillin's arms. "He reminds me of my father. His black hair, I guess." "What was your dad's name?" asked Gohan. Dua hesitated. "Beden." Krillin thought the name over. "Beden. I like it." "It suites him," said Troana. Little Beden yawned, then closed his eyes and fell asleep to the sound of the pouring rain.  
  
Four years later, frantic calls ran through the darkening forest. "Beden! Beden, where are you?!" Dua, Krillin, and Troana spread out through the forest, searching for Beden, who had gotten lost while looking for food with Vegeta. It was getting dark, rain was pouring down, and the parents were getting worried. Their search continued until dark. Krillin took one last look around, called out his son's name, then sighed heavily and turned back to their area in the forest. Meanwhile, deep in the forest, four year old Beden stumbled as he walked. He heard his dad call his name, but he was too scared to respond. He couldn't see a thing in front of him, and he was always tripping over slippery tree roots and wet branches were hitting his face, adding to his fear. Beden stopped and listened. Besides the noise of his heavy and panicked breathing, he heard a rustling of the leaves behind him. He looked behind him, but saw nothing. He took a few more steps, and heard the leaves rustling again. Something was following him. His already fast breath went faster, even more panicked. "DADDY!" Beden ran, tripping and stumbling and slipping through the forest. The leaves rustled even more, and then he could hear the sounds of footsteps running behind him. Even more scared, Beden ran in pure terror. "DAAAAADDIEEEEEE!" A few seconds later, Beden emerged into a small clearing. Multiple stones stuck out of the ground, round at the top, then the rest was in the ground. He recognized one name, one that his parents had said a lot. On the gravestone, it read: GOKU. Then there was a year under the name. Beden looked further down the small clearing, and saw Krillin. "DADDY!" Krillin turned to see the source of the cry. "Beden!" Beden ran right into Krillin's arms, knocking him clear onto his back. "Beden, are you all right?" he asked, holding Beden in a hug with his whole arm. "Igotlost,andsometingwaschasingme,and,and…" Just then, something large and gray burst through the bush and charged at them. "Wolf!" Krillin was on his back, using his good arm to hold his son. He was helpless. With his back wet with mud, he watched as the wolf continued its charge. As soon as it was a yard and a half away, it leaped, sharp fangs bared, eyes hungry. Krillin tried his best to put himself between the wolf and Beden. He could imagine the wolf biting into his leg, jerking its head back and forth, while he screamed for Beden to run. Krillin watched the oncoming wolf with an unblinking stare.  
  
Meanwhile, a 16-year-old Gohan carefully unrolled his sleeping bag next to Piccolo's, while Kien, his nephew, sat on his lap. Kien was born a year after Beden was. Kien's father, a Sayian named Jemp, had joined them when Kien was two. Jemp was originally one of Freeza's men, but him and Troana somehow met, and apparently fell in love. Jemp betrayed Freeza and gave them his loyalty. Of course, Vegeta didn't like the new Sayian, but Gohan was glad Jemp showed up, because his sister actually smiled more than she used to. Piccolo, who was meditating close by, suddenly opened one eye and looked out into the forest. He heard something. Gohan carefully listened. Then he heard it. It sounded like a human cry. Gohan carefully moved Kien from his lap. "Kien, stay here." Gohan walked off while Kien followed his uncle with his eyes. Gohan silently walked off towards where he heard the sound, roughly the direction of their graveyard. Then he heard another cry, this one louder. "Wolf!" Gohan took off running. He had become somewhat of an expert at running through the forest, and he ran fast. Once he reached their graveyard, he saw Krillin, lying on his back with his good arm around Beden, glaring undauntedly at a charging wolf. Gohan ran, jumped, and intercepted the wolf's path with his foot. The wolf went flying over and beyond the treetops. Gohan landed and helped Krillin get up. "Are you all right?" "Yea, I'm fine. Except I was afraid we was going to lose him," said Krillin, still holding the now quieter Beden. All three headed back, Beden's chin resting on Krillin's shoulder. When they reached their campsite, Dua and Troana had already gotten back, Kien in Troana's arms. Dua looked up at Krillin, saw Beden, then immediately stood up. "You found him!" As Dua ran over, Krillin said, "Actually, he found me." Krillin carefully handed Beden to Dua and Beden latched his arms around her neck. Dua wrapped both arms around her and Krillin's son and said, "Don't you ever get lost again, we were so worried, you scared us." "There was a wolf hunting him down, he found me and Gohan fought the wolf off." "Thank Kami you were there." "If it weren't for Gohan, we'd still be short one fighter." Troana walked up, Kien still in her arms. "Has anyone seen Jemp?" "He said we went to get those berries he found earlier," said Tien. "And I found them." Through the pouring rain, the red haired, green-eyed Sayian stepped into view with a handful of red berries. "The rest weren't ready yet. They need a bit longer." "Hi Daddy," called Kien. Jemp flashed Kien a quick smile. "Hey Kien."  
  
Nine years later, Dua, Krillin, and a 13-year-old Beden were in the forest. It was yet again pouring rain, and lightning lit the sky. Beden dodged Krillin's kick, just to see Dua's fist coming at his face. Her fist connected solidly with his lower jaw, and, with a soft grunt, Beden fell with a small splash into a still growing mud puddle. With his jaw hurting, along with every other place a kick or a punch had landed, he slowly got up. Both his parents stood in front of him. Beden shook off the blow, mud, and rain and resumed his sparring stance. "I think that's enough." Beden looked at his father with a surprised look. "Huh?" "Beden, your mother and I need to talk to you." Beden relaxed and walked over to his parents. "We know you want to go with us on raids and help us fight Freeza's men." Beden nodded. "And your mother and I have taught you all we could. But before you can fight with us, you still have a lot to learn." "But you said you already taught me…" "What we could," intercepted Dua. "We could only teach you marshal arts, and you have already mastered what we taught you." "But you keep on beating me." "You need improvement on your speed, and that's more of your mother's area." "But, what else do I have to learn?" "Remember when you watched us fight Freeza men?" "Yea, you were flying and shooting Ki blasts. Gohan told me all about it." "You need to learn how to fly and shoot Ki blasts." "But I can't learn that here, Freeza's men will find us." "Exactly. Beden, before you were born, your father went back in time." Beden looked amazed. "Y-you mean, back before all this happened?" Dua nodded. "Yes. He went back to when Goku was still alive and warned him about what would happen if they let Freeza contact his ships." Beden just listened through the sound of the rain pouring onto the ground. "What we're trying to say is, when you finish your training in three years, we're going to send you back in time so you can train with us in the past." "But, the time machine only holds one person." "I know. You'll be going alone." "But I don't know how to drive that thing!" "Your father can teach you. He knows how." "But, what about Kien?" "He might be making the same trip, it all depends on what Troana and Jemp decide." "I know it's scary at first, but I'll be teaching you for the next three years. I'll make sure you learn how to run that time machine better than I do."  
  
Three years later, Troana, Krillin, Piccolo, Gohan, Tien, Jemp, Dua, and Vegeta all gathered in the pouring rain to see the 16-year-old Beden off before he left for the past. "You remember who to ask for, right?" "Yes mom. That time's Krillin and Dua." Beden looked at his mother. Although he was born when she was around 17 years old, she still looked young. Now that she was 33 years old, she still didn't look any different to him. His father, now roughly in his 40's, showed just the slightest signs of aging, although they were hardly noticeable. Gohan, whom Beden had oftentimes considered an uncle, had grown up to be a strong man. The other Z-Fighters say he looks a lot like Goku, only much more serious. Beden wouldn't know, he's never seen Goku before. Piccolo looked almost in no way different from when Beden first saw him. Piccolo was considered Gohan's legal guardian, because they had both lost all their family when Freeza attacked the Earth. Troana, whom he had always considered his aunt, was also 33 years old, and had also not changed much. Gohan says she looks like Chichi, but Beden wouldn't know. Jemp looks almost no different, except the fact that now he despises Freeza, ever since Troana explained to him what Freeza had done to her and her friends. Tien, who was also just barely showing signs of aging, was still looking younger than he should be. He wasn't originally the kind that laughs and smiles often, and the last time he'd smiled was when Kien was born. Vegeta looked the same, but then again, he is a full-blooded Sayian, Beden figured. He hadn't changed much attitude-wise, either. Vegeta still never smiled, or laughed for that matter. And Kien… "Wait, where's Kien?" Beden asked. "Don't worry. He won't let you leave without saying goodbye," said Troana. Beden looked a little disappointed. It was then the Namek stepped up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I can't say I haven't grown a little fond of you, Beden. I used to train with your mom, and I know you'll train hard. And looking at your parents, you'll grow up to be strong, powerful, and fast. I know you'll make us all proud." With that, Piccolo removed his hand and took a step back. Beden knew how much it took for him to do that. He turned to the time machine in front of him. "Good luck Beden," said Gohan. "And train hard," added Tien. Beden opened the top of the time machine when he heard the splash of someone running through the puddles. He turned around to see his best friend, Kien, run up to the group. "Kien, you made it!" "There's no way I would have let you leave without saying goodbye." Beden sighed. "I better get going." He turned to his parents. He gave his mom a hug, then his dad. "Bye mom, bye dad." Krillin mustered a small smile. "Train hard and make us proud, OK?" "You know I will." Beden carefully climbed into the time machine, smiled a small smile, and waved. "I'll be back, and try not to get killed while I'm gone." Everyone waved back as Beden laid down and let the hatch close. With Beden at the controls, the ship took off, then disappeared in a flash of light. 


End file.
